Carry 150lb deer out fireman carry style? Okaaaaaaaay LOL. Deer drag?

[spectr17]

Saw this on another forum and got a chuckle from the post. OP wanted recommendations on a deer drag. One guy replied and said to carry the 150 lb. deer out fireman style, it was a lot easier than dragging it out. I gotta say in 47 years of hunting I've never seen a full size deer carried out fireman style anywhere in the USA. Even in the military when we humped 80-100 lb rucks with heavy radios and batteries it was a death march even as 20 years old in prime shape. The heaviest ruck I can remember from working with Rangers, PJs, CCT etc was 120 lb. No way you're gonna carry 125-150 lbs over steep or rough terrain, it's a good way to get yourself hurt. I can see a short haul on level ground but that doesn't happen very often. That and the deer isn't strapped down like a ruck or backpack and will shift on uneven terrain. Learn to bone out the meat and keep the weight down to as low as possible. The last thing you want to do is blow out a knee or back trying too carry to much weight.

One last thing to consider, do you really want to be moving around in the brush with a deer on your back? Good way to get shot. I don't even carry my turkeys over my shoulder like I used to, they get tucked in the turkey vest. Too many meatheads out there to even chance wearing a deer coat walking around in the woods.

 

[DAWG]

Not that I would actually give a guy who really could do it too much crap... But also sounds like a good way to get a back and head full of ticks and other unwanted stuff... Boning one out and putting the meat in clean bags in a pack is the way to go for far from the truck in rugged country... Brains over brwan wins every time...

 

[Farrisconst]

I got ticks all over me couple years back dragging one by the horns in all my years of hunting never experienced a deer having ticks must be to cold in Washington for ticks.and our deer are much larger than 150 lbs so would never see one carried fireman style even from big burly loggers lol

 

[dchunter]

I was gonna do that last yr. with my first deer and then I remembered, I only way 160lbs.!! LOL That reminds me, I gotta go back on Mooseman's post to watch of the field dressing video. I have never seen it before but it "looks" easy. I hope to find out this weekend. Good luck guys. 3 does last night and not one buck with them. uggghhh!

 

[dustin ray]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W05aL79EeEk

[video=youtube;W05aL79EeEk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W05aL79EeEk[/video]

 

[6x7]

Not sure if this pics going to work but its a photo of a friends dad with a decent size deer I have no idea how far he carried it but one thing I know is not everybody is created the same and what one person can do there's millions that can't

 

[jerryt]

Not sure if this pics going to work but its a photo of a friends dad with a decent size deer I have no idea how far he carried it but one thing I know is not everybody is created the same and what one person can do there's millions that can't

I have carried many a deer out that way. The most recent one was this one at 135 lbs hanging in camp that my dad shot in 2011. I only had to carry him about 2.5 miles so it wasn't that bad. It was about 50% down hill and 50% up hill through the granites.

 

[Aught-SixGuy]

I carried a buddy's buck (he has bad knees) like that one time. He was very small but it was difficult anyway. Got ticks on me. All I gotta say is screw that! Cut em up! I hauled my elk out last year one quarter at a time.

 

[flingem71]

So, I'm seeing that it can be done, I'm hearing there is easyer ways.

DISCLAIMER: some of the things I say may be unfiltered, offensive, or even complete B.S.

 

[Mjp62]

The best method is shoot em on the road

 

[chap_dog48]

Well I must have been crazy for about 30 years. We have done it for 30 years that way. However in todays new packs world we try and bone it our, now if we are deep say 1-5 miles in we use the gutless method since most packs have come a long way, but if we are close to the road say less than a mile we still will pack it out. Farthest that I carried a buck like that was 5 miles and this is not a "fishing story." If you have every been to Deer Mountain in d14 I shot one there and carried it all the way back to 3N14 next to Coxey Mdw, I should have just dropped into Devils Hole it would have only been 1+ mile but that was not where my Truck was. Below are some of the pics of us hauling our deer out. We always had orange on like in 2 of the pictures. The one where I have no orange on My Dad and Brother are right there by me with orange on. Dragging takes way longer, and if you are in good shape not that tough to haul one out like this. Just my 2 Cents. Kurt

 

[Moose Man]

Not that I'm a seasoned expert but I really recommend the gutless method. Put the meat in game bags, I also talked the lady into getting some new pillow cases so I could use the old ones.. Bring a bigger pack, extra paracord/rope. I did several miles on uneven terrain and packing a whole deer out in one go is tough. Thread carefully and take your time. I also used about 30 feet of orange tape, turning the pack/antlers into a Christmas tree. I've since gotten a big blaze orange backpack rain cover from bass pro, 8 dollars. I posted a vid I studied for step by step on another thread.

 

[Aught-SixGuy]

@Chapdog- That's quite a haul man! I've hiked in there from Coxey Meadow before, in the back of my mind there was always the "If I shoot one back here it's gonna suck" thought, but that's why we do it!

 

[QuackAssassin]

not sure if I agree with it being totally stupid.. I shot my deer this year and gutted it and threw it on my shoulders just fine for about a mile. I enjoyed the work out and it saved me alot of time in the heat and flies. dragging means for dirt and more cleaning of the meat, and boning out just erks me the way the meat dries. However I will if i was 4 miles deep. As far as the ticks go, i throw my hood up and im fine. I will agree, any extra weight on your knees is bad for them, but I hike with tools, hose packs, and web gear up and down mountains so i figure it makes no difference to me. Got a pair of Whites and they do me wonders. I for one think its a splendid idea, saves the time, the clean up, and the hassle for me. ALSO tie a white or orange shirt to the animal so no idiots shoot at me.

 

[huntingbret]

If your back and knees won't kill you from that method, maybe one of the many, many ticks will. I'm sooooo not doing that! LOL

 

[ManCalledHorse]

I did the carry up and drag down hill thing. Especially if I don't have my butchering stuff to quarter and pack out.

 

[chap_dog48]

The most deer in one season that we hauled out like that was 7. It was one of those things that we just did, passed on from my Grandfather so to us it was what you did if you hunted. One of the reasons that we originally did this was the fact we did not want the Coyotes, Bears, Cats and other predators to come into the areas we hunted looking for scraps so we took the animals out whole, minus the guts. If we didn't take everything out we thought that the predators would screw up our honeyhole. Some of them were great spots for about 20+ years. Now with the number of Cats, Bears, coyotes on the rise most of these honeyholes have dried up and we have been forced to hunt further and further into the backcountry. The times they are a changing.

 

[QuackNSmack]

not sure if I agree with it being totally stupid.. I shot my deer this year and gutted it and threw it on my shoulders just fine for about a mile. I enjoyed the work out and it saved me alot of time in the heat and flies. dragging means for dirt and more cleaning of the meat, and boning out just erks me the way the meat dries. However I will if i was 4 miles deep. As far as the ticks go, i throw my hood up and im fine. I will agree, any extra weight on your knees is bad for them, but I hike with tools, hose packs, and web gear up and down mountains so i figure it makes no difference to me. Got a pair of Whites and they do me wonders. I for one think its a splendid idea, saves the time, the clean up, and the hassle for me. ALSO tie a white or orange shirt to the animal so no idiots shoot at me.

Good quality boots make the world of difference! I own a pair of Wildland Nicks and are awesome. Im 130lbs on a good day and have packed 90lbs 6 miles. If you do a ratio to size of someone larger, i would say its possible. I have heard a lot of guys wear the deer like a backpack...like what Jerryt posted a picture of. Ive never done done, it, havent had to far of a carry out yet.

 

[ltdann]

Those days are loooong gone! More power to anyone that can do that. These days, I carry a can of flea and tick fogger and hose down the deer before I even gut 'em. That said, my first deer this year I forgot the can and chased fleas around my beard for 3 days. Oh...what a joy that was.

 

[spectr17]

Well I'll be a monkey's uncle, looks like it's been done before and some still lug deer out like that. Hard core. I still don't think it's a good idea. A lot of the places we hunt have bad footing and if you take a tumble with that much weight you may end up with 2 animals to be carried out. Plus the pounding your back and knees will take even if you make it out without falling. I also don't see walking staffs to help in stability since the hands are tied up trying to keep the deer from falling off. The other thing is even with a little bit of orange on the deer your taking a huge chance with a deer on your back. I'd suggest you cover that entire deer with orange so there's no chance someone sees a deer head or azz bouncing through the brush and wings a shot at you. I've done coyotes this way, tied their feet together to make them easier to hang around the shoulder or neck. That's always a smelly dealio.